Harry Potter and the Second Generation
by GeorgiferRosex
Summary: This fanfiction is set straight after the '19 years later' Epilogue, written by Joanne Kathleen Rowling at the end of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows. It would be advisable to read that same Prologue to the beginning of this story.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1.**

Albus watched his father disappear along with the rest of the platform. He had always thought that James, Harry and Ginny had been joking with him about how you got through to Platform nine and three quarters in Kings Cross, however he had been proven wrong last year when, on this exact day, he had watched his older brother James Sirius embark on his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He remembered how he had barged through the wall of Platforms 9 and 10, and watched enviously as James had boarded the scarlet steam engine he now stood inside - Lily, his younger sister, had been distraught at the thought of saying goodbye to James; secretly, Albus had been too, but he'd never admitted it. James had arrived at Hogwarts, got sorted into Gryffindor, made a load of friends and got into a spot of mischief - all while still managing to pass his exams. Harry and Ginny had not been annoyed in the slightest when they realised James had been causing a spot of bother in the great walls of Hogwarts - on the contrary, they were thrilled at the prospect of James finding his own way around the castle. James was always described as the cool, confident Potter, the one with the fiery temperament, the sense of humour, the one who had a 'little personality' from a young age. Albus, however, stuck in his private little shell. Close to his family, the prospect of not seeing his Mother, Father and little sister again until Christmas was daunting. He commonly fretted as to whether he would do as well as James had done on his first year - yet he had something James had never had. Support, a friendly face, someone to share the journey with.

Rose Weasley was standing next to Albus Severus Potter. Albus looked away from the window - it was frosted now anyway, and their was nothing to watch. He turned to look at his cousin; Rose had bushy red hair and blue eyes, with freckles that ran down her nose and her cheeks. She also had rather large front teeth, but Albus commonly tried to ignore them as he knew how insecure Rose was about them, so insecure that her Mother had promised that she could get them shortened when she was fourteen, the same age she had done when she was younger. Rose was slightly smaller than Albus, and at the minute looked absolutely terrified - she was the oldest child of Ron and Hermione Weasley, and had no idea what was in store for her."Come on!" said Albus, looking at her with a sympathetic smile. "Let's go and find an empty compartment while we can.""Ok." replied Rose, with a half sigh. "I hope we don't have to search for too long - I swear Mum packed the entire contents of Flourish and Blott's in my trunk.""I didn't know we had to bring extra books other than the book list we were sent…" said Albus nervously, thinking back to whether his parents had ever advised him to bring extra reading material."It's not a necessity, I mean we have a library for that…" said Rose, and Albus breathed a sigh of relief. "but Mum says it's always good for background reading. She's even packed an old copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard in there, ancient it looks, and it's supposed to 'remind me of home.' I suppose only time will tell if I actually need it.""Yeah, I suppose." said Albus with a smile. "Right, shall we get cracking then?" he asked, and the two children turned to brave the corridors, still flooded by a crowd of students, swapping compartments to speak to their friends.

Albus and Rose picked up their trunks (Rose with more difficulty than Albus), and proceeded to make their way through the corridors with many, "Excuse me!" and "Thank you!"'s. The two first-years spoke quietly but Rose, inheriting the bossy voice of her Mother, managed to get people to move out of the way, squashing into compartments to allow the two corridor was long and narrow, so much so that Rose and Albus were only half way down it by the time they heard a familiar cheeky voice from a compartment to the left."Hey, Albs!" said James Potter above all the noise of fellow students. Albus turned around to see the broad grin on James's face, his chestnut eyes gleaming with happiness to be back with his pack of friends - all fellow second year boys. "If you're searching for a compartment, their's one just coming up on the left." he said, giving Albus a hearty wink."Is this your brother, Jay?" asked one of James's friends, a small boy with ash brown hair, bright blue eyes, and a wide smile that reminded Albus of a monkey.

"Yeah, and my cousin." said James, motioning to Rose. "Albus, Rose, I'd like you to meet Jeremy Bancroft and the gang.""It's awesome to meet you! Call me Jem…" said Jeremy, the monkey faced boy, and Rose and Albus found themselves shaking hands with him, whilst the other members of 'the gang' merely lifted their hands or nodded in recognition of the two first years - it was painfully obvious that James and Jem seemed to be the ringleaders in this 'gang'."Of course," considered James with a cocky smile, which informed Albus that he was about to say something malicious. "I shall disown both of them if they end up in Slytherin."

James's gang laughed (Jeremy Bancroft looked like he was about to have an accident!) and Albus looked down, allowing his messy, jet black hair to fall over his eyes, a vivid green. Rose sighed and grabbed Albus's arm.

"I'd love to sit and chat James, but Albs and I had better be finding that compartment." She sniffed with her bossy tone, before shutting the compartment door and walking on further, pulling her trunk along with her head held high - Albus followed."That boy has a nerve on your first day…" she said, as she found an empty compartment door and clambered inside it, Albus afterwards. Albus slumped down onto the train seats before replying."That's just James, Rose, you know that." said Albus, pulling his backpack off of his back before standing up again and lifting his trunk into the overhead compartment.

Rose decided not to attempt storing her heavy trunk away, so she sat opposite Albus, her trunk by her side. Albus opened a side section of his bag and poured some Galleons from it, placing them in his pocket."How hungry are you?" he asked Rose.

"Not very." said Rose hurriedly, obviously not liking his attempt to change the subject. "Anyway, what would you do if… well, if you _were_ a Slytherin?" she asked quietly, her voice almost a whisper, as she leaned towards him in her seat."Well I don't know." said Albus, sighing. "I bet I will be in Slytherin.""I doubt it." smiled Rose. "Not one of our family have been in that house."Albus stared out of the window, the freeze had now melted and he could now see green fields with cows and horses, a lake in the distance."Albus?" said Rose, and Albus's attention was drawn back to her. "You're not seriously worried about this are you?" she asked. Albus considered for a moment, before slowly shaking his head."No, not really. Dad told me something before we got on the train. It really helped." he smiled, and Rose drew back a little."What did he tell you?" she asked, picking at her nails and trying to sound casual.

"You've got to promise not to tell anyone…" said Albus cautiously, though he was wasting his breath. He trusted Rose and the Weasleys more than anyone, especially more than he trusted James, who didn't seem to know when to keep his mouth shut."I won't tell anyone, you know that…" said Rose with an encouraging smile."Good, because I don't know if it's supposed to be a secret or not…" said Albus, before taking a deep breath and commencing to tell her about what Harry Potter had told him. "Dad said that I've been named after two Hogwarts headmasters and that one of them was a Slytherin - and that he was the bravest man he had ever met." started Albus, talking quietly, softly and slowly. "But this is the really good bit…" Albus started again, but he was interrupted by the clang sound of the compartment door being pulled open ferociously.

A small, pale sickly boy was standing outside their compartment. He had blonde, slicked back hair, grey, bleak eyes and a pointed chin. He was wearing his black Hogwarts robes already, as if to gain a sense of authority over the other first years, still dressed in their Muggle attire."Hello." said the boy. His voice was dull and expressionless, as if their were far more important things he could be doing at the present time than talking to his future classmates.

"Hello." said Albus and Rose, studying the boy carefully - they had seen him before, on the platform.

"I can't find a compartment." said the boy, and deeming this an acceptable form of self invitation, he stepped into the compartment, placed his briefcase firmly on the floor, shut the compartment door and sat next to several minutes of awkward silence, the boy spoke again. "My Mum and Dad know your Mum and Dad." he said to Albus, before turning to Rose and saying, "And yours too.""Yes, from what I've heard, they don't get on so well." said Rose in her harsh tone; she highly disapproved of the boys interruption.

"No…" said the boy, seeming to consider. "No, they don't…" he finished, before biting his lip. "I'm Scorpius by the way. Scorpius Malfoy." he added, stretching his hand out for Rose and Albus to shake."I'm Albus Potter." replied Albus awkwardly."And I'm Rose Weasley." said Rose civily, not daring to smile at the boy - feeling a somewhat loyalty towards her sat in silence too, once again; Scorpius had long since given up on shaking Rose and Albus's hand, and had placed his hand down now, staring at the ceiling.

Time seemed to pass very slowly, but soon, the green fields were replaced by dank Muggle cities, grey and stone, steam and pollution rising in the air. Muggles took no notice of the scarlet steam train as they bustled about trying to finish their shopping; oblivious to the sheer amount of magic contained in the mode of transport. Albus and Scorpius were wide awake, staring at the wall opposite them, yet Rose, sick of the silence one can only presume, had dozed off, her head resting on her heavy trunk. Albus thought that the many books enclosed in the case couldn't have been very comfortable to sleep on, yet he had nothing of more substantial comfort to offer her head a resting place. His Galleons jingled in his pocket, itching to be spent; Scorpius drew out his own Galleons, and Albus realised Scorpius had far more than himself - the thought didn't bother Albus particularly, though.

"Anything off of the trolley dears?" asked a plump, old, white haired Witch, pulling a trolly full of sweets; she had Pumpking Pasties, Chocolate Frogs, Liquorice Wands, Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, Droobles Best Blowing Gum and Cauldron Cakes, among others of Albus's favourites!

Feeling peckish, Albus rummaged once more into the side pocket of his bag, pulling more Galleon's out as Scorpius stood up to take his order.

Albus ordered two of everything, so Rose had plenty for when she awoke. He sat down and started rummaging through the sweets, feeling much more inclined to speak."So you said your Mum and Dad know my Mum and Dad?" said Albus, turning to Scorpius, who looked much more like a child now he wasn't all prim and proper, and was digging into his Pumpkin Pastie."Well, my Dad mainly." said Scorpius inbetween chews. "He and your Dad were enemies at school, and he told me how your Mum once performed the Bat Bogey Hex on him!" he finished with a sly smile."How come they never got along?" asked Albus, unwrapping a chocolate frog."No idea. Just rivalry I think. I've never asked him." said Scorpius, chewing his Pastie thoughtfully. "In fact, I've not really ask him much in a while…" he continued. Albus sat and watched awkwardly, not really knowing what to say. He always asked his Father questions, though perhaps not as often as James, inquisitive as he was.

Thankfully, the awkward silence was banished by a tap tap on the window, which coincidentally awoke Rose from her slumber."What was that?" she asked as she bounded up, but Scorpius was already blocking the view of both of the cousins, as he bounded towards the compartment window, a greedy expression of delight plastered to his sickly pale complexion. Rose rubbed her eyes to increase her awareness, whilst Albus stood up in an attempt to witness what had so pleased Scorpius. "What's going on?" hea shut the window that he had previously opened, and turned to face Albus and Rose, his face triumphant. In his open pal was perched an elegant Eagle Owl, a formal looking letter clutched in its beak; the Owl looked thoroughly pleased with itself."I've got a letter from my Grandmother and Grandfather!" said Scorpius, and though the excitement he felt was clearly etched all over his face, his tone of voice remained as dull as ever."Already?" asked Rose, as both Albus and Scorpius sat down; Scorpius started stroking the official, pompous looking bird."Father warned me that Grandmother Malfoy would be most enthusiastic about my first day of school, and how proud Grandfather Malfoy would be in spite of his ill health." said Scorpius, as he pushed some sweets to the side to make way for the letter he was about to open. Albus watched Scorpius as he performed the task. He was under the impression that Scorpius came from a rich, pure background, where he was used to getting the best of everything; it gave Scorpius the impression of an old man in a childs body, what with his complex vocabulary range for an eleven year old, and his seeming incapacity to let himself completely unwrapped the letter and flattened it before commencing to read it:

"_Dear Young Scorpius,_

_Congratulations on the commence of your first year of Wizarding Education, and may you proceed to be sorted into the precious house of your ancestors, Slytherin. Your Grandfather and I were of course delighted when we first heard the news that you had received your Hogwarts letter - though of course not surprised, as you come from Pure Blood ancestry and their was no doubt that you were not a squib ever since you managed to make your Uncle Greengrass's wig disappear at your Mother's birthday banquet when you were seven years old. This, of course, was an embarrassing situation for all, yet at least your first spout of magic was entertaining! Anyway, we thought that your Father might have applied you for Durmstrang, because as a boy he took a particular shining for that place, however we are most pleased that he chose otherwise, for it'll be much less of a journey for Opal to deliver your letters.I assume Astoria has given you a sufficient amount of Galleons to buy Chocolate Frog's with, but find enclosed several more so you can maintain your collection of Chocolate Frog Cards - here's hoping you can find the Harry Potter card you so desperately seek to complete your collection at last!Enjoy your first day and don't worry yourself over us - Grandpa_ _Lucius is doing well and his condition certainly hasn't deteriorated anymore than it is currently, which is always a good thing. Soon, maybe, he could be fit enough to write you a letter himself. Good luck dear Scorpius, we hope to hear from you Narcissa Malfoy, andGrandfather Lucius Malfoy."_Scorpius finished reading the letter sheepishly and folded it back up again, placing it back into the envelope with the Galleons.

"It's awfully nice of your Grandparents to write to you so early in the term… well, before term, really." said Albus, trying to relievethe tension that had suddenly grown between the three children. Albus had heard the line clearly - even though Scorpius had somehow attempted to fade it out; Scorpius desperately craved a Harry Potter Chocolate Frog Card, though Albus chose not to mention it. Rose, too, seemed to choose against mentioning her Uncle's name - besides, Harry Potter was an exceptionally famous Wizard, so it wasn't really that much of a shock to her."Is that her name? Opal?" asked Rose, motioning to the Eagle Owl, that seemed to be eyeing up the rest of the sweets hungrily, yet restraining herself."Yeah," said Scorpius. "she's my Grandma's. I wish I had my own Owl with me, but Father says that I'm getting one for my birthday, but that's ages away in February!" moaned Scorpius, before picking up his briefcase and opening it, rummaging through it until he found what he was looking for - some Owl treats, which he started to feed Opal. "Of course, I've got to be ready for when Opal and my Mum's Owl comes to stay. My Father says he'll write to me, but I doubt it.""How come?" asked Rose."Father is always very busy at work, so he doesn't have time…""-To write to his own Son?" said Rose, interrupting Scorpius with a tone of disgust."Father's just busy, that's all…" said Scorpius coldly, turning his head away from Rose so she couldn't see the scowl now upon it.

The students sat in silence once more, each working separately on different topics, but most certainly not talking to one another. Rose was reading a book that made Albus's eyes water just looking at it, Scorpius was staring at the Owl called Opal, occasionally feeding her some more Owl treats, and Scorpius was just thinking to himself. Rose wasn't being as welcoming towards Scorpius as she could have been, in his opinion. Normally, she was very welcoming towards people she met, yet she was acting strangely cold towards Scorpius. Albus grabbed a Pumpkin Pastie and started to chew on it as he sat in thought, and his chews were heard distinctively threw the silence. Scorpius ignored them, how engrossed in the Owl was he, but Rose kept shooting Albus dirty looks over the complex book.

Fifteen painfully long minutes passed this way, until a loud beep made Rose jump in her seat."Gosh, what's that? It almost made me jump out of my skin!" said Rose, hurriedly."My new alarm clock, Dad got me it." Albus said apologetically, checking his watch and pressing it so that it stopped beeping."What's that?" asked Scorpius, looking at the watch like it was a bomb ready to go off."An alarm clock, a watch, don't you know what that is?" asked Rose impatiently, and Albus gave Rose a stern look. He hoped that she was only acting so horribly to hide her nerves."Well I know what a watch is, but Wizards only get them when they're of age, don't they? But why is it beeping like that? I don't have any Muggle things you see, Mum and Dad don't want them." explained Scorpius as he continued to stare at the Watch, and Albus smiled."It's beeping to remind me of a certain time. It's set beforehand." he said to Scorpius, and then looked down to the watch on his wrist. "It beeped to let me know that we should nearly be there by now."Coincidentally, just as Albus finished speaking, a smooth voice was heard from throughout the train. It was a female voice, and it was loud without sounding like any form of strain had been placed upon it. "We are approaching Hogsmeade, please be ready to arrive in five minutes. Leave your luggage on the train, it will be bought in for you."

Albus's stomach gave a jolt of nerve, and he looked up to see Roses eyes were panicky as she looked down at her clothes. Instantly, she unzipped her trunk and started to rummage through the contents."Not in my robes… can't change in front of you… have to…" she managed to mutter before she managed to find her school robes and run out of the door hectically, leaving Albus and Scorpius alone together."Rose doesn't seem to like me much." said Scorpius as soon as she was in distant hearing range. Albus sighed, "I think she's just nervous." he said, as he unzipped his backpack to find his robes, that had crinkled slightly from being roughly slung into the bag before the journey. Scorpius looked down at his robes, already on, and still looking looked out of the window as Albus changed in silence, both two nervous to speak. Soon Albus finished and sat back down, awaiting the return of Rose. Albus took the opportunity to smile at Scorpius encouragingly. "Don't worry about Rose, she's normally nice enough. She'll come around, I've never seen her this nervous before." he said, and Scorpius looked up nervously."Aren't we all?" he said, "I'm worried about which house I'll be sorted in. All of my family have been sorted into Slytherin instantly, but what I've heard of them so far in my life has hardly been positive, even what my family intended to sound so.""I understand." said Albus sympathetically. "My Dad got to choose which house he was in, out of Gryffindor and Slytherin; the hat took his opinion into account. He chose Gryffindor in the end - my family's descended from Gryffindor!" he finished proudly, puffing out his chest."Then you don't have much to worry about." sighed Scorpius, and Rose returned to the Compartment just as they felt the train start to slow down."Are you ready then?" asked Albus, with a smile."Ready." said Rose,"Ready." repeated train stopped completely with a jolt, and the three first years turned and looked at each other, all united in that sense of nervousness, of excitement, of their new journey, their new path. Seven years they were to spend at this school, and it was all to start here.


	2. Chapter 2

Albus was glad that the weather was so crisp, as otherwise the boat ride across the lake would have been a horrific experience. All first years travelled by boat, and they were no exceptions; Albus, Rose and Scorpius got a boat to themselves, which they were delighted to learn rowed itself. He couldn't speak for the other two, but Albus was getting pretty nervous - the idea of being sorted in front of the entire school was causing his stomach to clench uncomfortably. Rose, however, was keeping a calm and cool composure as always and Scorpius seemed to be thinking of nothing else but a strange contraption that he had fished out of the pockets of his robes. Albus looked at it, growing more and more curious by the minute. It was small and cube shaped, and though it looked relatively inexpensive Scorpius was eyeing it as if it was made out of pure gold.

"What's that?" Albus questioned, an Scorpius grinned.

"It tells me all of the magical creatures nearby - Dad bought me it. He said I'd find it interesting." Scorpius explained. Albus was extremely fascinated.

"Oh, I've read about those." said Rose excitedly, forgetting how she'd treated Scorpius before. "They're supposed to be really expensive though because they're so rare." she said in awe, looking impressed.

"Well uhrm…yeah, they are." Scorpius muttered awkwardly, stuffing the cube back into his pocket. His face had blushed a slight ping tinge, as if the fact that his parents were well off embarrassed him.

" 'Member ter duck." came the ominous voice of Hagrid, and the students took his advice. They passed through a rocky opening and emerged into a sort of cave that covered one of the edges of the cliff where Hogwarts castle stood. The boats reached the edge of the cliff with a series of thumps, then the first years stepped out. The floor was wet, so they had to hold up their robes as they followed Hagrid towards a large, wooden, underground door with a brass knocker. Hagrid knocked on the door so firmly that it could have knocked out a fully grown man, and then they waited.

An old man with thick, black spectacles opened the door. He was completely bald and his grin was very toothy; overall he gave the impression of a large walnut on legs.

"Thanks, 'Agrid." said the walnut man, and Hagrid grinned.

"No problem, Tom. I'll see yer later guys, yer jest have ter follow Tom now."

"Bye, Hagrid." said Albus, and Hagrid patted him on the back.

Albus, Scorpius and Rose followed Tom up a flight of stone steps until they had reached the Entrance Hall. Rose gasped and so did several other students - Albus could see why, the Hall was so large it could probably have fitted a Quidditch stadium into it quite snuggly.

"Tom, I thought you were a Barman at the Leaky Cauldron?" asked Rose, and Albus realised Tom's face was vaguely familiar.

"Ah yes, that I was. But I'm getting on a bit now, so I sold the pub to the Longbottoms and came up to replace old Filch as caretaker." Tom explained.

"Cool!" exclaimed Scorpoius, darting to the other end of the Hall behind Tom. Albus had to jog to keep up - Scorpius was taller than him. "Dad told me about Filch, said he was a right old weirdo!"

"Well there's something strange about him alright…" murmured Tom as they reached the largest, most grand door Albus had ever seen in his life. "nobody really knew what side he was on half of the time, y'see."

Albus watched Tom curiously as the students came to a halt. His eyes had glazed over mysteriously, until he shook his hairless head and seemed to return to normal again. "Right, you lot wait here and I'll call you through in a sec." said Tom with a toothy smile to the students. "Try and make yourselves look presentable while I'm gone, will you?" he opened the large doors and a murmur of talk burst through the silence temporarily, until Tom had stepped through the gap in the door and shut it firmly behind him.

Instantly a girl behind Rose pulled an elaborately designed mirror out of her robes and proceeded to fuss around with her hair; Albus heard Rose give an incredibly audible tut of disapproval. Albus caught an eye with Scorpius, who shrugged before bending over and messing his hair up so that instead of slicking to the back of his head, it stuck out in all different directions. "There!" he beamed as he started to adjust his robes. "What?" he asked, catching the bemused look on Albus's face.

"Nothing." said Albus awkwardly, not really knowing what to do other than to attempt in vain to flatten his hair.

He was glad he knew what was coming, but that didn't stop him feeling nervous. He didn't know how James and his friends would react when they saw him, whether they'd be supportive or whether they'd jeer and make catcalls to try to embarrass him. He wouldn't rule out anything when it came to James and his gang. He decided he'd rather not think of that right now though, so instead he turned to watch the other students. Some looked excited, but some looked mortified already! On one side of him stood Rose, all calm and composure (typically), and on his right side stood Scorpius who was still trying to beam as if to give off an aura of confidence, though Albus could see how nervous he was in his brilliant blue seemed to drag as they stood outside waiting, but soon enough Tom returned and opened the doors, beckoning the first years inside."Good luck." he muttered to the students as they walked down the Great Hall inbetween the four long tables that represented the four Hogwarts Houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and could feel all eyes boring into him and it made him feel uncomfortable, like an animal on display at the zoo; however he resisted the sudden urge to run out of the Hall and hide, keeping in step with Scorpius who was walking beside filled his ears,

"Is that Potter's son?"

"James's brother?"

"Yeah it is, what's he doing hanging around with a Malfoy?"

Albus ignored them and clenched his teeth, soon they arrived at the end of the Hall, facing the long staff table.

The first person Albus noticed was Hagrid, who beamed at him through his beard and mouthed, 'Good luck, Al!' Albus smiled and turned to watch the other members of staff.

Professor Longbottom was exactly how he remembered him: all stubbly with a round, cheerful face; he also knew the Hogwarts headmaster instantly, not because of sight but due to description.

Professor Flitwick had once been a Charms teacher. He was a tiny man with beady eyes who had to sit on several cushions to see all of his students over the staff table. However, he had been on a duelling champion when he was younger and so nobody doubted him as a good leader. He was very old judging by his tufts of white hair, and his wrinkled face was full of Slughorn, the Potions Master, had a Walrus moustache that threatened to engulf his entire face, but otherwise there was nothing extraordinarily interesting about his appearance - he gave the impression of a man that had been well looked after.

A whispy haired Witch stood a stool on a small platform and then on _that _placed an old, dusty looking hat. The atmosphere instantly grew more tense, then a brim in the hat opened and it started to sing.

_I'm sorry that I have to bore_

_You with this simple yearly chore, _

_But someone has to get it done_

_So first years know where they belong!_

_Loyal Hufflepuff's, they show_

_To give love to all, friend or foe._

_Always respecting the idea of 'fair play',_

_Hardworking Hufflepuff's work all day._

_In Gryffindor dwell the brave at heart_

_Swift as an arrow, sharp as a dart,_

_Fierce and noble, and also true,_

_Does this sound a bit like you?_

_Or maybe you're in Ravenclaw,_

_Where homework's not seen as a chore!_

_Only the smartest belong there,_

_In Ravenclaw's most misty lair. _

_In Slytherin you could have great cunning,_

_But when danger calls you'll soon start running!_

_Can't tell the difference between pleasure and pain,_

_So long as you have something to gain!_

_Now come, relax, and take a seat._

_We're about to give you a royal treat, _

_But wait now, patiently, for your turn,_

_Which house are you? You soon shall learn!_

The song finished and Professor Flitwick lead the school into a polite round of applause, whilst the Witch the front unrolled a large scroll tenderly."My name," she said, "is Professor Grubbly-Plank. I am a temporary Professor here at Hogwarts, here for whoever needs me." she explained. "Now, when I call your name, you are to walk up to the stool, put the hat on your head and wait to be sorted. Then you're to go and sit with the rest of your house." Professor Grubbly-Plank looked at the students to make sure they all understood, before commencing with the sorting.

"Alright then, who's up first?" she said, looking down at the list. "Oh, here we go: Ayling, Santana."The girl who was the be sorted first did not look nervous in the slightest - in fact she had a smug grin on her face as she stomped up to the platform and shoved the hat over her head. The hat seemingly did not have to think twice."SLYTHERIN!" it cried out to the entire audience, and Professor Grubbly-Plank took the hat off of Santana's head. The Slytherin table cheered as Santana swaggered over to join them."Charmer that one!" said Scorpius, and Albus snorted.

"I heard her on the boats," whispered Rose, who was standing behind them. "She was banging on about how her Dad supposedly invented the new Quimble Broomstick, sounded like a load of dragon dung to me."

Kafai, Naz was the first official Gryffindor student of the group. She was a small, black haired girl who looked like she was going to burst with excitement. Albus noticed how the Gryffindor table cheered much louder than any of the others, and recognised many of the faces as his family. He could see his cousin Molly Weasley, smart school Prefect, as well as his brother. His other cousins Fred and Roxanne were sat there too, grinning and ruffling Naz Kafai's hair. Turning to the Ravenclaw table he saw Victoire, Dominique and Louis Weasley, his half-French cousins who beamed at him from their table.

"Losco, Jasmine." said Professor Grubbly-Plank and a dainty, blonde haired girl walked anxiously up to the stool.

Hang on, thought Albus, how could they be on the Ls already? He looked behind him and saw that three quarters of the group had already been sorted. He looked at Scorpius, who was gulping nervously, knowing what was about to come next…

"Malfoy, Scorpius." came his name after Losca, Jasmine had been placed into Slytherin. Albus watched as the Professor shoved the hat on Scorpius's head.

"A Malfoy, he's bound to be in Slytherin!" Albus heard a third year Hufflepuff girl mutter darkly to her friend.

He turned to the Slytherin table and saw Santana Ayling staring at Scorpius, almost greedily. She had already saved him a seat next to Jasmine Losca, who it turned out she was close friends with.

The hat was taking his time with Scorpius, whose face had turned even paler than usual. Finally, the hat cleared his throat and bellowed,"GRYFFINDOR!"

Silence met these words. Everybody in the room was staring at Scorpius, who looked so shocked Albus wondered why nobody had supplied him with a sick bucket. Everyone seemed to be asking the same question - had the hat made a mistake? Surely no Malfoy belonged in Gryffindor! Slowly, Scorpius handed Professor Grubbly-Plank the sorting hat and went to sit at the Gryffindor table, whose residents applauded him graciously. Albus instinctively turned back to Santana. She looked as though she had just stepped in a pile of Troll bogies.

Partridge, Georgie, was next, and she too was sorted into Gryffindor. Then Albus heard his own name, loud and clear, "Potter, Albus."

As Albus was walking towards the hat, he was relieved to hear that his brother was not jeering, or making any catcalls; in fact, he was actually smiling at him and giving him the thumbs up. Albus felt his stomach relax an etch, and he made it to the stool without tripping up, something he thought was miraculous - several students had already done that. Soon, Professor Grubbly-Plank had raised the hat and placed it firmly over hs head."Ooh, a Potter." drawled the hat's voice in his head, sounding almost bored. "You're too easy," he sniffed, if it was possible for hats to sniff. "GRYFFINDOR!" the hat boomed, and Albus felt his heart soar! He wasn't in Slytherin! He grinned broadly as he raced down from the platform and to the Gryffindor table, sitting next to Scorpius amidst all of the cheers and whistles.

"Oi, what are you doing there?" Albus heard the voice of James over the crowd. "Come and sit with your family!"

"How many seats are free?" Albus asked.

"Three." James replied. The noise was starting to ease now.

"Come on, Scorpius, let's go and sit up there. I'll introduce you to my family." Albus said softly. He could tell Scorpius was downtrodden from his not so warm welcome, but he was intent on cheering him and Scorpius sat next to James, and left a seat allocated for Rose. Sat opposite them were Fred, Molly and Roxanne, who were each watching the sorting he had been sorted himself, Albus became aware of how hungry he was. His stomach rumbled and James snorted with laughter. Albus ignored him, willing the sorting to end soon.

Robbins, Alex; Sawyn, Joy and Suchoruczka, Ella soon joined their table as fellow Gryffindors and finally, the only person left to be sorted was left, awkwardly, standing on her own."Weasley, Rose." said the Professor, and Albus had to admire his cousin. She was walking up to the Sorting Hat as calm as anyone, even though she knew everyone was watching her, sick of the sorting by hat was placed on her head and their was silence for a long time, then the Sorting Hat slowly opened his wide brim of a mouth,"RAVENCLAW!" it said.


End file.
